This week’s videos feature Swedish pop tart Robyn still flicking that annoying hair out of her eyes, Craig David being fly, Estelle getting it on with Sean Paul, The Streets on fine form and The Killers wearing feathers. Sit up straight like your mother always told you and watch them now…
Christian Falk ft Robyn - Dream On - Out now
“Thugs and badmen, punks and lifers…” begins Robyn as she shimmies in a gold sack dress and looks down the barrel of the camera in that way she does. Robyn never really looks happy does she? RealMusic Blog hopes she smiles sometimes in that elfin way of hers. This effort is from the freakishly large hands of Swedish knob-twiddler Christian Falk and it hares along at a fair old pace, with Robyn navigating each twist and turn like the pro she is. And even though the song names lots of bad people, the video sets out to defy stereotypes. First, you see a lady in her pants on a bed crying and a beardy man stalking her. She stares at her hands. Is he going to hit her? Hang on, she’s opening her hands to reveal she’s holding a ring and the tears are actually tears of joy. Hurray! Lady in her pants is not going to be killed, but wed! Similarly there’s a skinhead fella shouting - not bad things though, but shouting to a man not to run into the street. He pelts down the road after him and saves him. Hurray for tattooed mean-looking man!
Craig David - Insomnia - Out now
First thing’s first: yes, this track sounds remarkably like Ne-Yo’s Closer. But does that take anything away from it? Absolutely not. RealMusic Blog is a fan of Ne-Yo’s track and thinks that this is by far Craig’s best effort since his comeback last year. The video is also basically Ne-Yo’s video, but with less motorbikes, Trilby hats and stripey tanktops. It doesn’t have a woman about to simulate oral sex either. Or Ne-Yo. OK, it’s a completely different video altogether, but it does have FLASHING LIGHTS and people dancing. It also has Craig doing a bit of old-school garage which we love and he takes off his sunglasses. Craig’s not very good at dancing still, but you can’t have it all can you?
Estelle ft Sean Paul - Come Over - Out now
Odd one this. On the one hand you’ve got Estelle, hot pop starlet in designer gear; paired up with Sean Paul, a fella who’s made a living out of singing “baby girl!” and has hair that looks to RealMusic Blog like it’s been stitched on wonky at the last minute. But somehow this beauty and the beast double act pulls it off, sashaying along with a dancehall hit that ebbs and flows lovingly, and Estelle even has the good grace not to stop the song near the end when our Sean shows up in a duff jacket. Don’t look at Mr Paul too long and it’s a passable video too.
The Streets - Heaven For The Weather - Out now
Is there anything more English than Mike Skinner? With his crew cut, Reeboks and Brummie accent, he could be any bloke down your local. Except he isn’t. Reeboks he may wear - he got his whole backing choir to wear them too at the recent Electric Proms - but this is an original pop star who raps the thoughts of all of us, tying up each verse with a neat and catchy singalong chorus. Heaven For The Weather follows said format, with Skinner throwing religion into the mix and taking on an Anthony Robbins-style zealot role with a hilarious godly intro. There’s no walking on hot coals at the end, but maybe that happened when the cameras stopped rolling…
The Killers - Human - Out now
Before this new single came out, RealMusic Blog was a little worried about The Killers. After the bombast of Hot Fuss and the taches of Sam’s Town, the rumours were that the Vegas foursome were going 80s electro like the rest of the world and its dog, budgie and hamster. Really? The Killers to sound like Girls Aloud? Er, no. Sure, they’ve thrown in some synth for good measure and Brandon is thankfully clean-shaven this time around, but this is vintage Killers - a slick anthem that transfixes from the start. “Pay my respects to grace and virtue,” chirrups Flowers, all metrosexual with feathers on his lapels and fey hand gestures. For this video, the band have been crashlanded in the desert, surrounded by tigers and Big Rocks. We’re sure that says something or other, but really it just makes the video extremely orange to watch. See what we mean by clicking here…
(Clare Lydon)
